In our Girls’ Vision for Education consultation, hundreds of girls told us how gender-based violence (GBV) hinders their access to 12 years of education and threatens their futures.
November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and kicked off 16 Days of Activism against GBV. Women and girls are subject to GBV — the act or threat of physical, sexual or emotional harm based on gender — at shockingly high rates: globally, close to one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. And this figure is likely an underestimate as it does not capture the experiences of girls under 15 and does not include all forms of GBV, including non-partner harassment.
For girls, the fear of experiencing GBV on their way to and in school prevents them from accessing and completing their education. Through our Girls’ Vision project, co-created with young women leaders, we asked nearly 800 girls from 30 countries to reimagine and redefine their secondary education. Girls, via in-person workshops in low- and middle-income countries and an online survey, highlighted improving safety as a central theme in their vision for education.
Our consultation revealed that girls dream of an education that enables them to take control of their futures, become leaders, get jobs they want, and help their families and other girls. But none of this is possible if girls have to go to school beneath a shadow of fear.
Girls may not feel secure when they step out from their house on their way to school. The creepy strange guys stare at them…make them feel insecure and they feel exhausted. – Insight from Girls’ Vision workshop in Pakistan with 14-16 year olds who are in school.
Girls also told us about the lack of safety in schools. We heard about different forms of violence — including sexual violence by male teachers or boys — and the lack of safe spaces for girls, particularly inadequate and insecure toilets. Girls in the workshops mentioned bullying, a form of harassment, as one of their top three barriers to education. Participants, particularly girls living with disabilities and girls aged 17-19, highlighted gender-specific types of harassment in school such as “eve-teasing” and verbal abuse.
Critically, we did not directly ask girls about GBV in the consultation. Their concerns came up unprompted and therefore reflect the severity of the issue. Sadly, what we heard through the consultation reflects the reality for many more girls across the world. Unsafe routes to and from school are one of the primary drivers for girls’ dropout rates. Bullying is used to control girls and reinforce discriminatory gender norms, and unchecked bullying can lead to sexual harassment.
School-related GBV fits within a much broader continuum of gender-based violence, abuse and discrimination that girls are likely to experience throughout their lifetimes as GBV is both a symptom and a driver of gender inequality. Girls who are subject to GBV are less likely to complete 12 years of education and more likely to be subject to GBV in the future.
Clearly, governments have failed to take adequate action to prevent abuse, protect girls and promote their rights, including their right to education — despite ample evidence of what works, publication of guides and toolkits, and national and global policies and commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Malala Fund’s grantee partners are addressing this gap and working to hold governments accountable. For example, MEDEA raises awareness about the impacts of child marriage in Tanzania by using film to facilitate community discussions. In Bangladesh, Family Ties for Women Development creates safe spaces through girls’ clubs, and in Nigeria, Jami Al-Hakeem works on integrating GBV prevention and response into education curricula in Adamawa state.
The full Girls’ Vision for Education consultation report will be available in March 2025. You can hear more from the young women leaders who worked with us to create the consultation on Assembly.
